Author Q&A: Michael Cardwell

Today we're interviewing author Michael Cardwell, who writes mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers.

After thirty-two years of service in the United States Army, Cardwell transitioned from the discipline of military life to the craft of storytelling.

He is the author of the well-received Coogan Mystery Series. Each book has earned excellent reader ratings and strong sales, and he is grateful for the support of a growing audience of mystery and western thriller readers.

SADYE: How did you come to see yourself as a writer, and what inspired you to seek publication?  

MICHAEL: I’ve been a writer most of my life — it just took me thirty-two years in the infantry to finally sit still long enough to prove it.

The stories were always there, but Army life kept the pen tucked away. When I retired, that old calling came back loud and clear. Writing stopped being optional.

Seeking publication felt like the natural next step; if the stories were going to keep showing up, I figured I should at least give them a place to live besides my head. Now I’m just trying to keep up with them.

SADYE: Which of your characters would you most and least like to trade places with?

MICHAEL: I’d trade places with Matt Bringloe in a heartbeat. The man’s a retired rodeo rider turned Tribal cop who knows exactly who he is.

He’s comfortable in his own boots, doesn’t waste energy pretending to be anything else, and could live off the land with nothing but a knife, a thermos, and a good attitude. There’s a peace to him — a confidence — that I think most of us spend years trying to find.

Who I wouldn’t trade places with? Ruth. And it has nothing to do with her being a woman. It’s because she has to endure every dubious, dangerous, and occasionally deranged thing Danny Coogan gets himself into.

Loving Danny is basically a full-contact sport, and she deserves hazard pay.

SADYE: What have been the most surprising, rewarding, and challenging parts of your writing career?  

MICHAEL: The most surprising part of my writing career is that people actually read the books — and then ask for more.

I spent decades in the infantry, so I’m used to giving orders, not receiving compliments. Reader enthusiasm still catches me off guard in the best possible way.

The most rewarding part has been hearing from folks who connect with the characters. When someone says Danny Coogan reminded them of someone they knew, or that Bringloe made them laugh, or that a scene hit them right in the heart — that’s the kind of thing you can’t put a price on.

And the most challenging part? Honestly, it’s realizing the characters don’t care about my schedule. They show up at 3 a.m., demanding attention, usually when the coffee’s gone cold, and the dogs are finally asleep.

Writing is the only job I’ve had where imaginary people boss me around, and I just take it.

SADYE: What period of history would you most like to travel back to, and what historical figure would you most like to meet?

MICHAEL: I’d head straight for the classic Old West — the real one, not the Hollywood version.

Give me the era of cattle drives, wagon trains creaking across open country, and mountain men pushing deeper into the wilderness just to see what was over the next ridge.

There was a rawness to that time, a mix of danger and possibility that shaped the whole American story.

And if I could meet one historical figure, it would be Bass Reeves. He was born into slavery and still rose to become one of the greatest, toughest, and most principled lawmen this country ever produced, an unheralded legend who outdid them all.

I’d love to sit by a campfire with him and hear the stories that never made it into the history books.

SADYE: What experience in your past or general aspect of your life has most affected your writing?

MICHAEL: The experience that’s shaped my writing the most is my time in the military, thirty-two years of it.

Infantry life teaches you a lot about people: who they are under pressure, how they act when things go sideways, and where the real fault lines in human nature lie. You see courage, fear, humor, loyalty, and the whole messy spectrum up close.

That perspective shows up in my characters, how they talk, how they react, how they carry their scars. It also taught me to observe quietly, listen carefully, and notice the small details that reveal the big truths.

And maybe most importantly, the military gave me a deep understanding of consequences. Choices matter. Promises matter. The cost of doing the right thing isn’t always pretty.

That thread runs through every story I write, whether it’s a marshal on the frontier or a small-town sheriff trying to keep her county from falling apart.

In a strange way, everything I write is shaped by those years — just filtered now through a pen instead of a rucksack.

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Learn more about Michael Cardwell on his website, where his books can also be purchased.

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